Dr. Gourmet Newsletter:
March 26, 2007
Chef Tim Says...
A good friend of mine is a wonderful poet and I had the pleasure of spending some time with him a few weekends ago. His poetry is delightful with fine and crisp images. We got to chatting and he agreed to let us reprint a few of his poems on food. So this week a break from the usual Chef Tim or Dr. Tim commentary for something far more important.
PINEAPPLE INSIDE-OUT CAKE
a halved, holy, sun-
tunneled pineapple
boat is floating
face down on the cement
sea of the counter-top
contented, hidden
yellow flesh flushing
shallow in it's shell
retracting, like a reactionary
turtle, all back
spiny, primordial with
a shell of pointy flags
pointing north into
nothing, the nothing
of sweetness, the nothing
of it's stumped neck
where a pinkish yellowy
collar of sun-filaments flutters
inviting you inward, in
to the belly of
blond fire, sweet streaks
of bleached lava
intent on taunting
a spongy tongue, remembering
it's home and yours
in the lungs of the sun.
Poems © 1998-2007 Albert Flynn DeSilver
www.theowlpress.com/desilver.html
Featured Recipe: Homemade Fresh Caramel Popcorn
This is a quick and easy evening dessert / snack that everyone will love. If your family is full of chocolate lovers use the chocolate topping but I particularly love the caramel. This will appeal to all the folks in your household -- both sweet lovers and salty snackers. Homemade Fresh Caramel Popcorn
Ask Dr. Gourmet
I have been put on a low sodium diet. Many of your recipes (and I'm thinking particularly of the Crab Salad with Dill & Mango) sound delicious and healthy but are not low sodium. Do you have any suggestions for altering them to make them low sodium (i.e., in the crab salad recipe, not using the salt or the capers)?
Dr. Gourmet Says...
This is a great question. I have put this on my to do list for an upcoming newsletter column. Thanks!
When I finished the crab salad I did notice that this went over the 500 mg of sodium that I prefer for a main course serving. I have used that number as a guideline for years. Ways to further reduce sodium content in Dr. Gourmet recipes
Did You Know?
I have a lot of patients with gout and this is a topic that I will have more information on in the coming year. Here's a handy, downloadable guide for different foods that might provoke problems for those with gout. Gout Basics (PDF format)
Do Your Salt Taste Buds Learn?
In a study performed in 1982, a group of people were placed on a low-sodium diet for five months. Their taste response to salt in solutions, soups and crackers were measured before and while they were on the diet. During the five month period when the participants lowered their sodium intake, the same measurements were made in a control group that did not change their diet.
In the group that lowered their sodium intake, the perceived intensity of salt in crackers increased. In addition, the amount of salt needed for "maximum pleasantness" of taste in soup and crackers fell in the experimental group but not in the control group.
It is clear that preferred levels of salt in food are dependent on how much salt you are used to eating. So, give it some time and slowly decrease the amount of salt in foods you prepare, and your perceptions of saltiness will change.
Cooking to Reduce the Burn
Cooking to Reduce the Burn was created specifically for those suffering from GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease). With Tummy Tips and easy recipes to help you eat well and eat healthy without painful acid reflux. Download it for FREE!
Hand on Heart
Dr. Harlan's latest cookbook, Hand on Heart, includes several of the recipes from drgourmet.com, plus a few that were developed specifically for the book, like Banoffee Pie! More on what's inside.
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